Life of the Party: A Roman Gala

To celebrate the relocation of The National Museum of Catholic Art and Library, the Italian embassy plans to host a “Roman Gala.”By John Arundel and Tyler Sullivan

The Holy Theologians and Pope Benedict XVI at Prayer, a piece from the new museum. Photo Courtesy of The National Museum of Catholic Art.

Next year, founders and boosters of The National Museum of Catholic Art and Library (NMCAL), an organization dedicated to the promotion and awareness of Judeo Christian and Roman Catholic art, as well as the art of all other faiths, hope to move into a new home in Washington, DC.

Relocating from New York, NMCAL plans to enter DC in style, throwing a black tie dinner gala to announce the planning of the new museum, followed by a concert featuring famed tenor Michael Amante.

The event, “A Roman Gala,” will be held at the Italian Embassy on Wednesday, October 19. Featuring the revelation of a life size Michelangelo bronze sculpture of “Moses,” the event celebrates the anticipated coming of NMCAL to the area, as well as the 500th anniversary of a Michelangelo’s world-renown fresco, “The Creation of Adam by God,” on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

“We will celebrate the great artist Michelangelo for his artistic contribution to the Catholic Church,” says Christina Cox, the museum’s founder and president.

The bronze “Moses” depicts the biblical figure with horns on his head, holding the Ten Commandments and seated after descending from Mount Sinai. The statue was commissioned to Michelangelo by Pope Julius II as the center piece for his tomb in St Pietro in Vincoli.This statue, along with many works to be featured in the museum, holds deep prominence in the Catholic faith, as well as in many other religious traditions.